Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park is ‘clearly a global leader in esports’, according to Mayor of London Sadiq Khan.
His comments come as the final weekend of major League of Legends tournament, MSI 2023, gets underway at the Copperbox Arena (pictured).
A press release from Better, a charitable social enterprise with seven leisure centres in Greenwich, said that the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park is ‘fast becoming the leading destination for esports in the UK, with its premier esports arena, Copper Box Arena, at the centre of this rapidly growing industry’.
The 7,500 seater arena, the third-largest in London, has already hosted major esports tournaments featuring popular games such as Apex Legends, League of Legends, Gran Turismo, Clash Royale and Call of Duty, drawing in esports fans from around the world.
Aside from the Copperbox, there’s Here East which has Staffordshire University London and more, and Lee Valley VeloPark which contains the College of Esports and more.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said:
“It’s clear that Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park is a global leader in esports. The Park is harnessing this growing industry, becoming a hub for skills training and jobs in the sector, and helping to create a better, more prosperous London for all.”
Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London
“The eyes of the gaming world have been on the Copper Box Arena this month, as tens of thousands of visitors take part in the exciting programme of events, with millions more joining in online.”
The Mayor’s comments come after Riot confirmed a report first broken by Esports News UK that MSI 2023 would be coming to London, with Sadiq Khan welcoming League of Legends fans to the UK capital.
London & Partners was also key to helping Riot bring MSI to London.
Lyn Garner, Chief Executive of the London Legacy Development Corporation, added: “Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park has become a leading destination for esports in the UK. The Copper Box Arena is the perfect venue to host these global spectaculars playing to an audience of millions around the world. With many events choosing to return year after year, the Arena has established itself as the capital’s prime esports venue.
“This phenomena is about much more than the events, with courses for people wanting to develop their skills and a growing cluster of businesses offering a career in the sector. We are creating an ecluster that benefits the London and UK economy as well as having a reputation as a world leader in this high-tech, fast moving industry.”
Gavin Poole, CEO of Here East, commented on Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park: “We are proud that Here East is playing a fundamental role in shaping how the next generation of talent learn about esports, gaming and the industries of the future. Alongside our partners and the businesses and academia based on campus, we are truly realizing East London’s potential to establish a globally significant urban testbed delivering on ideas that are going to power the future economies.”
Miles Eady, Commercial Events Manager at Copper Box Arena, said: “I am excited to see the rise of esports on Queen Elizabeth Olympics Park and hugely proud to be part of the emergence of Copper Box Arena as the UK’s premier esports venue. The convergence of traditional sports and gaming creates a dynamic and inclusive space for all to come together and compete at the highest level.”
Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park growth follows plans to create ‘world-class esports cluster’
The comments about Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park come two years since the publication of a report by Here East supported by the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC), which outlined a roadmap to create a ‘world-class esports cluster’ at Here East, to drive job creation.
1.2m sq ft campus Here East is now home to 5,400 people who work and study on site, with 37 organisations based there including Plexal (Here East’s innovation and consulting centre), Fiit.tv, Sports Interactive, Esports Engine, Ford Smart Mobility, Studio Wayne McGregor, MatchesFashion and The Trampery on the Gantry . It focuses on esports, cyber security and the creative industries in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park area.
Here East is owned by clients of Delancey, a specialist real estate investment advisory company.
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Dom is an award-winning writer and finalist of the Esports Journalist of the Year 2023 award. He graduated from Bournemouth University with a 2:1 degree in Multi-Media Journalism in 2007.
As a long-time gamer having first picked up the NES controller in the late ’80s, he has written for a range of publications including GamesTM, Nintendo Official Magazine, industry publication MCV and others. He worked as head of content for the British Esports Federation up until February 2021, when he stepped back to work full-time on Esports News UK and offer esports consultancy and freelance services. Note: Dom still produces the British Esports newsletter on a freelance basis, so our coverage of British Esports is always kept simple – usually just covering the occasional press release – because of this conflict of interest.
